Creation of game elements using location information

• US 20060281553A1
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Digital Chocolate Incorporated
• Inventors: Hawkins, William M. III, Marazzani, Rick
• Application Number:
  US11/133,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20060281553A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions

Abstract

Methods, systems, and machine-readable mediums are disclosed for creating game elements using location information. In one embodiment, at least one-machine readable medium has instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a machine cause the machine to implement a game, to obtain information about a location of the machine, and to abstract the information into an element of the game.

Claims

1. At least one machine-readable medium, having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform the actions of:

implementing a game;

obtaining information about a location of the machine; and

abstracting the information into an element of the game.

2. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for abstracting the information comprise instructions, which, when executed by the machine cause the machine to perform the action of determining an enemy type.

3. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for abstracting the information comprise instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform the action of determining a strength associated with a character.

4. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for abstracting the information comprise instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform the action of determining a game environment element.

5. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for abstracting the information comprise instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform the action of determining a chance of an event occurring.

6. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for abstracting the information comprise instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform the action of determining an amount of a reward.

7. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for abstracting the information comprise instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform the action of determining a reward type.

8. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform the actions of:

obtaining second information about the location; and

abstracting the second information into a second element of the game.

9. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform the action of determining the location of the machine.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions for determining the location comprise instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform the action of requesting the location from a location component included in the machine.

11. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions for determining the location comprise instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform the action of requesting the location from a location service external to the machine.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for obtaining the information about the location comprise instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the machine to perform the action of obtaining the information from a data storage associated with the machine.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for obtaining the information about the location comprise instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform the action of requesting the information from a game server.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform the actions of determining a type of location information needed by the game.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for obtaining the information about the location comprise instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to obtain at least one of terrain information and landmark information.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for obtaining the information about the location comprise instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to obtain at least one of weather information and traffic information associated with the location.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for obtaining the information about the location comprise instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to obtain man-made attraction information associated with the location.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for obtaining the information about the location comprise instructions, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to obtain at least one of population information and property value information.

19. A wireless device comprising:

a wireless network interface;

a memory including a game application, the game application comprising instructions to obtain information about a location of the wireless device and to abstract the information into an element of the game; and

a processor to execute the game application.

20. The wireless device of claim 19, further comprising:

a location component, communicatively coupled with the processor, to obtain the location of the wireless device; and

wherein the game application further includes instructions to request the location from the location component.

21. The wireless device of claim 19, further comprising:

a data storage, communicatively coupled with the processor, the data storage having location information for a plurality of locations; and

wherein the instructions to obtain the information about the location comprise instructions to retrieve the information from the data storage.

22. A game system comprising the wireless device of claim 19 and a game server, communicatively coupled with the wireless device, to provide the information about the location.

23. A method comprising:

at a game server, receiving a request from a game application executing on a wireless device to obtain location information associated with a location of the wireless device;

determining, with the game server, the location of the wireless device;

obtaining, with the game server, information associated with the location; and

transmitting, from the game server, the information to the game application.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein obtaining the information comprises retrieving at least a portion of the information from a data storage associated with the game server.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein obtaining the information comprises requesting at least a portion of the information from a content provider.